Sharp Curves Ahead
Page 27
Bailee sat in the courtroom, day after day, within arm’s reach of Trent’s secret paramour. Seeing his wife and his mistress in such close proximity didn’t seem to faze him, as he showed no signs of remorse or any amount of discomfort.
In the rare instances when Trent looked Bailee’s way, she saw nothing but defiance in his eyes.
Something was wrong with him, she decided. A sensitivity chip was definitely missing.
At the conclusion of the trial, she derived immense pleasure when he was given a six-year sentence and was shamefully disbarred from the distinguished profession he was so proud to be a part of.
During the first month of her sentence, Giselle gave birth to a baby girl. She named her Sofia, and then handed her over to the state.
Sofia was sickly and woefully underweight. After spending a few weeks in the hospital, she was placed in foster care.
Worrying about Sofia’s welfare, Bailee found it difficult to sleep at night, and she wondered if a guilty conscience prevented Trent and Giselle from getting any rest.
After weeks of legal maneuvering, Bailee’s attorneys were successful in getting her a supervised visit with Sofia. When she held the tiny, warm bundle in her arms, the baby’s eyelids fluttered open, and in that moment, there was an instant connection between them.
Sofia needed Bailee and Bailee needed her.
She didn’t understand her strong maternal feeling toward Sofia, but accepted that some emotions simply couldn’t be explained. Bailee fell completely in love with the tiny infant and made up her mind to fight for her, at all costs.
Through her attorneys, she appealed to Trent and Giselle in a language they both understood. She offered to clandestinely pay them to give up the rights of Sofia and allow her to adopt her.
They both readily agreed.
* * *
“I’m so happy you and Hayden and the baby decided to spend Thanksgiving with us,” Jayla said as she put a tray of macaroni and cheese into the oven.
“I love Florida, but it doesn’t feel right celebrating the holiday in eighty-degree weather, so thank you for inviting us.”
“Of course,” Jayla said and then turned on the blender. The loud whirring sound frightened Sofia, who was investigating the lower kitchen cabinets and trying to pull open drawers. She gave a little yelp and quickly toddled over to Bailee. Bailee picked her up and comforted her with a kiss on the cheek.
“Aw, I’m sorry, Sofia,” Jayla cooed, “but I have to finish making my homemade eggnog.”
“Wait. Let me take her to Hayden before you turn the blender back on.” Rocking Sofia in her arms, she carried her into the living room where Hayden and Derek were watching the Thanksgiving Day football game.
When Bailee returned to the kitchen, Jayla gazed at her and smiled.
“What’s the big smile for?” Bailee asked, looking around self-consciously.
“I can’t believe you’re a mother.”
“I know, right?”
“And you’re good at it,” Jayla added.
“Thank you. Being a mom is much easier than I thought it would be. But that’s probably because she’s such a sweet little girl. But, enough about me,” Bailee said, waving her hand. “I can’t believe you bought this posh brownstone. Living downtown is so cool. I’m so proud of the way you took charge of your life, Jayla. You’re happily married…have your own successful real estate business, and you’re—”
Jayla cut Bailee off. “Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit. None of this would be possible if Derek and I didn’t believe in each other.”
“So, when are you two going to start a family?”
“Girl, please. No time soon. I like spending time with my goddaughter, but I’m not ready for diaper duty quite yet. But, I can’t let my mom find out, so don’t say a word about this.”
“I won’t say anything. But I’m curious as to why you and Derek don’t want children.”
“We do want kids, but not right now. We’re having so much fun enjoying our life together, we don’t want to be responsible for molding and shaping a young life.” Jayla made a face. “Does that sound selfish?”
“No, not at all. Parenthood shouldn’t be taken lightly. After I adopted Sofia, I lost all interest in the business arrangement I’d made with Hayden. Luckily, he had the energy to pick up my slack. It’s amazing that someone as business-oriented as I was would find it fulfilling to become a full-time mom. But I’ve never been happier or more at peace than I am now.”
Jayla put on a colorful oven mitt and checked the turkey in the oven. “I’m sure that it wasn’t hard to find peace when your coins are right. After your lawyer finagled a way for you to get your inheritance early, you don’t have any reason to get back out there in the competitive, dog-eat-dog business world.”
“That’s true, but I also feel that my time is best served by making sure that my daughter is raised right rather than leaving it up to nannies. When she’s older, it’s possible that I’ll return to work.”
Jayla cast a glance at Sofia. “Does it bother you that she looks so much like Trent?”
“Actually, I don’t see it.”
“You’re kidding, right? You know damn well that Trent spit that child out,” Jayla said in a hushed tone.
Bailee shrugged. “I view Sofia as being her own unique personality with no connection to her biological father. If anything, she reminds me of Hayden with her mannerisms and her temperament. I believe children take on the personality traits and even the physical features of the people that they’re around.”
Jayla nodded, but she didn’t necessarily agree. To keep the peace, she changed the subject. “So…now that you’re a divorcee, are you and Hayden thinking about tying the knot?”
“No.”
Jayla lifted a brow.
“We like our relationship exactly the way it is. He has his place, and we have ours, but he’s still the father figure in her life.”
“I can’t knock your arrangement. I learned the hard way that trying to follow society’s guidelines for what’s acceptable and what’s not will have you out here fraudin,’ chile.”
Bailee wrinkled her nose. “Frauding? I don’t believe that’s a word.”
“Here you go, Ms. Perfect Grammar. Girl, it’s a Philly thing. Don’t get new because you’ve been in Miami for a while. You know we Philadelphians speak our own language.”
“That’s true.”
“Anyway, as I was saying… I was fraudin’ like I was in a committed relationship with that bum, Sadeeq. What I love about being married to Derek is that we keep it real. Derek is attracted to men and I like freaky sex. Being honest works well for us.”
Bailee frowned. “What exactly are you saying? Does Derek sleep around?”
“We enjoy threesomes. And let me tell you, honey, our sex life is never boring.”
“It doesn’t bother you that your husband goes both ways?”
“Nope. I’m not trying to be a smart-ass, Bailee…but you were married to a man for ten years and didn’t know what the hell he was out there doing. There are no skeletons in the closet and no secrets between Derek and me.”
Bailee laughed. “You have a point, girl.” Her expression turned serious as she craned her neck in the direction of the living room. “I hope he’s not attracted to—”
“He ain’t thinking about Hayden like that. That’s your man and a new friend to him. Being bisexual doesn’t mean that he goes around hitting on every attractive man he comes into contact with.”
“I apologize for making that assumption.”
The old Bailee rarely apologized or admitted she was wrong, and it was clear that Bailee had experienced a great deal of growth. Making her aware that there were no hard feelings, Jayla placed a glass of eggnog in front of her. “Taste it.”
Bailee took a small sip. “Mmm. I don’t think I’ve ever had homemade eggnog before. It’s really good, but isn’t it supposed to have liquor in it?”
“It’s my mom’s r
ecipe, and with her being all churchified and everything, she doesn’t touch alcoholic beverages. But after she leaves, we’ll pour in the whiskey,” Jayla said with a wink. “Oh! Speaking of my mom, who do you think I got my former sneaky ways from?”
“Ms. Lorraine?” Bailee asked uncertainly.
“Uh-huh.” Jayla smiled mischievously. “Her and Pastor have been smashing for years. She wants people to think of her as a pious, Christian woman, and she works real hard at being deceptive.”
“Wow. I’m so shocked, I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say. My point is…you and I have come a long way, Bailee. We’ve taken off our masks and we’re both proudly standing in our truth. It feels good to be able to be raw and vulnerable.”
Bailee chuckled. “I don’t think we have any other choice than to finally be our authentic selves, now that we don’t have all that extra weight to hide behind.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Jayla said, turning the glass of eggnog up to her lips again.
As if on cue, Derek entered the kitchen and Hayden was directly behind him with Sofia high up in the air, riding on his shoulders.
“We came to check on the grub and see what we can do to speed things up,” Derek said.
“Can you cook, Hayden?” Jayla asked.
“Oh, yeah, I can burn,” he said, laughing.
Bailee shook her head adamantly. “Oh, no! He can burn up pots and pans and set off the smoke detector.”
“I thought you loved my crispy bacon,” Hayden teased. “Sofia likes my cooking; don’t you, baby girl?” he said playfully as she bounced up and down on his shoulder.
Smiling, Jayla observed Bailee, Hayden, and Sofia interacting, and it pleased her to see her friend in such a good place. That she and Bailee were in a good place at the same time was a small miracle.
“My mom and Pastor should be here in about fifteen minutes, and then dinner will be served promptly,” Jayla said. “In the meantime, try some of my eggnog and let’s make a toast.”
Derek took over the pouring duties and when all four glasses were filled, he launched into a series of corny-joke-type toasts that had Hayden cracking up.
“Thank you, Derek,” Jayla interrupted, teasingly rolling her eyes. “Okay, my turn, and I’ll keep it simple.” She raised her glass and said, “Here’s to enduring friendship; beautiful, new family members…and eternal black love that can survive anything.”
About the Author
A prolific writer, Allison Hobbs is the national bestselling author of thirty novels and novellas of multiple genres, including paranormal and fantasy. Allison received a Bachelor of Science degree from Temple University.
ALSO BY ALLISON HOBBS
Power Couple
Taming Madam M
The Secrets of Silk
Misty
With This Ring
No Boundaries
Put A Ring On It
Brick
Scandalicious
Lipstick Hustla
Stealing Candy
The Sorceress
Pure Paradise
Disciplined
One Taste
Big Juicy Lips
The Climax
A Bona Fide Gold Digger
The Enchantress
Double Dippin’
Dangerously in Love
Insatiable
Pandora’s Box
WRITING AS JOELLE STERLING
Forbidden Feast
The Dark Hunger
Midnight Cravings
WITH KAREN E. QUINONES-MILLER
Hittin’ It Out the Park
WITH CAIRO
Sexual Healing
We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.
* * *
Get a FREE ebook when you join our mailing list. Plus, get updates on new releases, deals, recommended reads, and more from Simon & Schuster. Click below to sign up and see terms and conditions.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Already a subscriber? Provide your email again so we can register this ebook and send you more of what you like to read. You will continue to receive exclusive offers in your inbox.
Strebor Books
P.O. Box 55471
Atlanta, GA 30308
www.simonandschuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2017 by Allison Hobbs
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever. For information address Strebor Books, P.O. Box 55471,
Atlanta, GA 30308.
ISBN 978-1-59309-676-2
ISBN 978-1-50111-938-5 (ebook)
LCCN 2017941828
First Strebor Books trade paperback edition October 2017
Cover design: www.mariondesigns.com
Cover photograph: © Keith Saunders/Keith Saunders Photos
For information regarding special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event.
For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.